After his much-talked about ‘Avus’ armchair, which was launched by Plank during the 2011 edition of Milan’s Salone del Mobile fair, the Munich-based designer Konstantin Grcic has recently created a comparatively less extravagant but perhaps more practical seat for the same manufacturer. Unveiled earlier in April, also at iSaloni, the geometrical, core leather upholstered ‘Palio’ is available in natural or black while the chair’s simple, tubular legs are made of matt-black anodized aluminum.

‘Palio’ chair by Konstantin Grcic for Plank

More about the chair:

‘This piece of furniture’s most notable feature is its cupped seat of core leather suspended in a stainless steel-tube frame. Konstantin Grcic also appreciates this robust material, which has been worked with great precision by Italian craftsmen. The designer says, “It is an attractive, very sturdy leather that gains in beauty as it ages. What I really like about leather is how well it can be shaped three-dimensionally, like we know from shoes and bicycle seats. Because of these characteristics, we can completely dispense with upholstery and lining materials.” ‘

‘Palio’ chair by Konstantin Grcic for Plank

‘Palio’ chair by Konstantin Grcic for Plank

‘Explaining the functional details of his design, he says, “The seat shell simply consists of two stable leather layers that adapt to the body of the sitter, while still providing support. This makes the chair very comfortable.” Palio is also impressive from an aesthetic point of view, its nylon handle lending the chair a modern, almost sporty look. Furthermore, when a number of chairs are lined up, for example in a restaurant, the striking backrests sets unique visual accents.’